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Scared to snitch: A growing problem in Stockton

Cellphone video of a deadly shooting in Stockton shows multiple people witnessed the crime and likely could identify the killer -- but no one will tell police what happened.

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Updated: 11:11 PM PDT Mar 20, 2014

Scared to snitch: A growing problem in Stockton

Cellphone video of a deadly shooting in Stockton shows multiple people witnessed the crime and likely could identify the killer -- but no one will tell police what happened.

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Updated: 11:11 PM PDT Mar 20, 2014

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WEBVTT NO ONE SEEMED TO BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY THE KILLER. STOCKTON POLICE SAY THE VIDEO REPRESENTS ONE OF THE GREATEST CHALLENGES OF POLICING THAT CITY. APPARENTLY NO ONE WANTS TO BE A SNITCH. MALLORY HOFF JOINING US LIVE FROM THE STOCKTON POLICE DEPARTMENT WITH MORE ON WHAT POLICE ARE TRYING TO DO. STOCKTON POLICE TELL US THEY NEED TIPS. THEY NEED INFORMATION FROM THE PUBLIC. IN RECENT YEARS, THEY HAVE MADE IT VERY EASY TO SUBMIT AN ANONYMOUS TIP. YOU CAN CALL IT IN, YOU CAN TEXT IT IN. YOU CAN EVEN SUBMIT IT VIA FACEBOOK. THEY SAY IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO GET SOME PEOPLE TO COME FORWARD. CELL PHONE VIDEO SHOWS MULTIPLE PEOPLE GATHERED ON A RESIDENTIAL STREET, THEN GUNFIRE ERUPTS. 21-YEAR-OLD FRANCISCO MARTINEZ WALKED OUT OF HIS HOUSE TO SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON. HE WAS HIT BY A STRAY BULLET AND KILLED. SOMEBODY SAW SOMETHING. DESPITE ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE WATCHING, POLICE SAY NOT A SINGLE PERSON HAS COMMITTED AN ANONYMOUS TIP. A SITUATION ALL TOO COMMON IN STOCKTON. PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO COME FORWARD. THEY DON'T WANT TO BE LABELED AS A SNITCH. YOU ARE NOT BECAUSE THIS AFFECTED SOMEONE'S FAMILY. A BROTHER AND SISTER SAY THEY HEARD THE SHOTS AND CAME OUT TO FIND THEIR NEIGHBOR DYING. AN IMAGE YOUNG MINDS SOON WON'T FORGET. WE ARE TALKING TO YOU FROM BEHIND A 10. I PRESUME THAT IS BECAUSE OF HOW DANGEROUS THIS NEIGHBORHOOD IS. THEY SAY PEOPLE KNOW EXACTLY WHO PULLED THE TRIGGER. BUT FEAR OF REPERCUSSIONS WILL KEEP THEM FROM DIEBOLD AND WHAT THEY KNOW. IF THEY COME FORWARD, -- WITH SO FEW ANSWERS, POLICE SAY THEY WILL BEGIN SCOURING SOCIAL MEDIA FOR CLUES. THE VIDEO WAS POSTED TO A FACEBOOK PAGE. PERHAPS THE CAPTION SHOULD HAVE READ, LOOK WHAT SO MANY PEOPLE SAW AND HOW LITTLE IS BEING SAID. STOCKTON POLICE SAY THEY HAVE SEEN A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF ANONYMOUS TIPS SUBMITTED THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA IN RECENT YEARS. CLEARLY, STILL NOT ENOUGH. THEY SAY TO REMIND THE COMMUNITY THAT AN ANONYMOUS TIP WILL

Scared to snitch: A growing problem in Stockton

Cellphone video of a deadly shooting in Stockton shows multiple people witnessed the crime and likely could identify the killer -- but no one will tell police what happened.